3G(J cook's VOYAGE TO OCT. 



more favourable to our views, were Captain Gore's 

 motives for now finally giving up all farther search 

 for the islands to the north of Japan, and for 

 shaping a course west south-west, for the north part 

 of that island. In the night, the wind shifted to the 

 north-east, and blew a fresh gale, with hard rain 

 and hazy weather, which, by noon of the 25th, 

 brought us to the latitude of 40° 18', in the lon- 

 gitude 144° 0'. To-day we saw flights of wild 

 ducks ; a pigeon lighted on our rigging, and many 

 birds like linnets flew about us with a degree of 

 vigour that seemed to prove they had not been long 

 upon the wing. We also passed patches of long 

 grass, and a piece either of sugar-cane or bamboo. 

 These signs, that land was at no great distance, 

 induced us to try for soundings, but we found no 

 ground with ninety fathoms of line. Toward evening, 

 the w 7 ind by degrees shifted round to the south, with 

 which we still kept on to the west south-west ; and at 

 day-break of the 26th, we had the pleasure of descry- 

 ing high land to the westward, which proved to be 

 Japan. At eight it extended from north-west to 

 south by west, distant three or four leagues. A low 

 flat cape bore north-west three-quarters west, and 

 seemed to make the south part of the entrance of a 

 bay. Toward the south extreme, a conical shaped 

 hill bore south by west three-quarters west. To the 

 northward of this hill there appeared to be a very 

 deep inlet, the north side of the entrance into 

 which is formed by a low point of land ; and, as well 

 as we could judge by our glasses, has a small island 

 near it to the southward. 



We stood on till nine, when we were within two 

 leagues of the land, bearing west three quarters 

 south, and had soundings of fifty-eight fathoms, with 

 a bottom of very fine sand. We now tacked and 

 stood off'; but the wind dying away, at noon we had 

 got no farther than three leagues from the coast, 

 which extended from north-west by north three 



